Reviews by Rconn006:

More User Reviews:

Drank from a 75 cl corked and caged bottleLot 19/03/2010 - Best voor 03/2020Served in a Drie Fonteinen tumblerAcquired in a trade with mikesgroove

Review #750

Gorgeous, glowing, deep amber appearance. Much darker and more colorful than any other gueuze I have seen. A fluffy, bright white, one-finger head topped the liquid. The head quickly dissipated to a thick, clingy ring. Dots of lacing trickled down the glass.

The nose was remarkable. Incredibly complex and dynamic, and also quite intense. The first thing that struck me was the potent, oaky/barrel character. Very woodsy and earthy. Lots of barnyard and fresh hay aromas. This three-year-old bottle smelled much more aged than I was anticipating. Surprisingly, the acidic/vinegar notes were quite restrained.

The flavor profile was just as impressive as the nose. Strong lemon rind and hay-like notes led things off behind a crackery malt base. Tons of oaky, barrel flavor. Super musty and funky. Intense barnyard notes. Moderately tart. Like the nose, the flavor profile demonstrated restraint in the acidity department. Lots of lemon and lime notes on the back end and also in the crisp, bone dry finish. Woody and somewhat tannic with a fair amount of earthy hop bitterness. All in all, very balanced for the style and immensely quaffable.

Impressive mouthfeel. The liquid had a surprising amount of heft for the style but was still light and fluffy on the palate. Creamy, smooth and supple with a fine, prickly effervescence.

Armand'4 Oude Geuze Lente is far and away the best gueuze I have ever tried and is definitely in my top 5 beers of all time. For such a remarkably flavorful beer of this style, I was mesmerized by its ability to maintain such balace. All in all, a truly memorable drinking experience.

O- I see why many argue that this is the best of the 4. I liked Zomer's subtlety that didn't sacrifice much intensity, but this is right in your face intense and incredibly complex. A lambic for the ages.

Huge thanks to Mike for splitting this bottle and knocking off an enormous want of mine. Lente pours out bright like tempered, copper pipe, beaming in color with a foamy, fizzling white head comprised of large bubbles that pop and squander away pretty quickly. A few moments later, all that's left is a thin collar outlining this beautifully colored gueuze.

Someone sitting across the table from me was the one who opened the bottle, and moments after the cork was popped, I could already smell this wonderfully funky monster. Pouring it into my glass and bringing it a half inch from my nose was like olfactory heaven. This stuff is funky as hell, and tart like an obnoxious teenager; copious barnyard-like, sweaty funk, tart lemon skins, pears, apples, musty cellar floor, stone fruit flesh... where does it end?

Just when you think you've got everything figured out, you take another sniff and it sends you into another snarl of disbelief. More wet hay and damp cork, indisputable Belgian funk, musky forest and mushrooms and earthiness, with all those clamoring, tart fruits injecting just an edge of acidity for good measure. Probably one of the best smelling beers I've had the pleasure of sniffing to date. Hours after finishing the beer, smelling the empty bottle was like reliving a dream.

Each sip is so deliciously funk and sour, expanding your taste buds to new ends of the spectrum like not many other beers can do. The finish is a fading combo of the same funk and sour that rummages through the rest of the flavor profile, along with an adhering dryness that strips your palate of all moisture. The sharp and heavily carbonated body only accentuates these flavors and really leaves your palate in a constant need of repair (aka, another sip).

Wow, what a wonderfully fantastic beer, through and through. The hype on this one is fairly legit, I'd say. Not often does a beer come along that is so impressive in nearly every facet of the game, but Lente shines bright like a diamond. Good funk, good tartness, good oak, good dryness, and just a good experience all around. At around 40-45€ a bottle, Lente is not a cheap investment, but nevertheless one that any lover of gueuze (or good beer in general, really) needs to make.

Poured a beautiful copper color with an eggshell white head that sits atop throughout the entire glass.

An aromatic blend of lemon rind, citrus, hay, and maybe a small amount of a barnyard character, but this is much more towards the citrusy end of the spectrum. I'd prefer a little more intensity, but that seems a little unfair considering the integration of aromas is excellent.

Taste starts out with a bit of a funky cheese, citric acid, lemon rind, apples, hay, and just a touch of acetic acid. The lower levels of acetic acid are very nice; makes it seem easier to drink in greater quantities and allows the citrusy characteristics to shine.

Light and dry on the tongue with about medium levels of CO2. I have to bump up the overall a touch as the beer is really very good. The intensity isn't there as it is in others, but the lighter, more delicate flavors do go together very well. Probably the most sessionable gueuze I've had.

Taste follows the aroma very similarly: huge sour and tart character, lots of lemon, earth and rock, grass, musty body and funk, and the oak shines through more and more as the beer warms. A complete, sipping delight. Perfection.

Light to medium bodied, though incredibly well carbonated. Spritzy and light yet coating and full all at the same time. A joy.

A perfect gueuze. There is nothing to improve here. This beer left me speechless.

Thanks Rich (phillybeer7779) for opening this up, it was part of a great line-up for his birthday celebration.

Lente smells super funky; it's hazy, pale orange with great lacing. Lots of great funk with restrained acidity that plays off the barnyard very well. The finish is dry and clean with a sparkly metallic and apple peel taste. Thoroughly enjoyed this and would love the chance to try this again.

Wow! Opening a bottle to celebrate the birth of my 3rd child last night. Had this after a 2008 Cable Car, with an all too fresh Westy 12 in between.A: Heavy level of bubbles like 8 years worth of flotsam and jetsam all at once. Lacing hangs on the glass like the tormented grasping to slow their fall to hell.S: The only thing stopping perfection. After some ridiculous 2x IPA, its hard to score a 5 here. Pleasently smelss like a forest floor, as if Im a truffle dog, looking for . . . T: Wow. Did I say that yet? The first little snifter is a 4x pucker. Im drinking it right this second actually. The malt backbone is like a strong root that explodes in your mouth,with branches of awesomeness branching off. Dont let anyone who wont appreciate this drink this.M: The most chewy gueuze/ sour ever. Its like a BA stout in gravity. Its all over my cheeks and stays there.O: The legs leave groups of spots on the glass like spots of a monstrous snow leopard. The gueuze ate the 08 Cable Car like it was a retarded rat on 3 legs bathed in barbecue sauce. Between the 08 Cable Car and the 4, it was like a beauty contest between Miranda Kerr and Roseanne Barr. Smell? Nothing beats fresh Pliny the Younger, but as good as a gueuze will ever get!

A huge thanks to me for this one. 4oz. pour from a corked and caged 750ml bottle into a Hill Farmstead snifter. Had at a tasting on 6/4/11. Reviewed from notes.

A: Standard pour yields a .25 creamy white head with good retention. Beer is a slightly cloudy goldenrod. Lacing is patchy and spotty with decent stick. Points lost for clarity. Otherwise very good looking beer.

T: Straw, hay, cheese, with a lemon crispness. Slightly tart citrus in the middle with some lemon, band-aid plastic, and cheesiness in the middle. End is straw, hay, and lemon juice. Sour apple rind in the finish and aftertaste. Very nice balance here with some huge potential for development.

M: Light to medium bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Oily and silky in the mouth and slightly oily and smooth going down. Finish is mellow with a slightly sticky aftertaste. Spot on for the style.

O: Its not very often that such a "young" gueuze is so impressive, but this is close to the top of the heap. A lot of potential down the road, this is worth picking up and cellaring even with the high price point.

Huge burst of funk, horseblanket, tart, sour, light fruit. Slobber-knocker of an aroma. All the same on the taste -- tons of funk, sour/tart, light fruit (apple, etc.) and a nice zest. Brisk and refreshing on the palate -- dry. Absolutely delicious.